Monthly Archives: January 2010

So s I may have already mentioned I have been doing DVD marathons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To assuage my withdrawal symptoms from the series, I have decided to write about the best and worst of each season. I’m not going to write a recap because I’m sure you’ll find recaps all over.

THE BEST OF BVTS Season 4

1. ADAM – Part-human, part-demon, part-machine, Adam is a worthy villain to Buffy and provides for an interesting season finale for Season 4.

2. The Season Finale – The best thing about this season has got to be the Willow-Giles-Xander-Buffy combo fighting machine that was conjured up by Sumerian-speaking Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and rising witch Willow (Alyson Hannigan). The fight scene was one of the best ever.

3. The Spike/Buffy “We’re Getting Married” episode -Thanks to a spell gone awry from Willow, Buffy and Spike, immortal friends, become engaged. Buffy wanted “Wind Beneath Your Wings” as their first wedding song, and a garden wedding, Spike didn’t want Buffy’s friends attending, they ask each other those fundamental questions we loyal fans have always asked ourselves privately: why was Buffy named Buffy? And why was Spike named Spike? (Such a good question, as Giles said).

4. Anya – Nuff said.

5. Willow’s Coming Out – Of course, the most obvious reason why I love Season 4 so much must be the fact that Willow came out as a lesbian and a witch. Corollary to this, one of my favorite episodes has to be the one with the Gentlemen, the men who stole everyone’s voices so they could kill people. This is where Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) and Willow first meet and realize they have something more in common than membership in a pseudo-Wiccan college club. My other favorite episode has to be that episode when Oz (Seth Green), Willow’s ex-boyfriend and rockstar werewolf comes back to Sunnydale hoping to win Willow’s heart back after dumping her so unceremoniously in the first part of the season, only to realize that Willow has moved on and has decided never to look back. The look on his face when he realizes Tara is Willow’s girlfriend is heartbreaking. The look on Tara’s face when she realizes Willow has chosen her over Oz is priceless.

THE WORST OF SEASON 4

1. Riley Finn – Because Angel (David Boreanaz) is much more interesting. 🙂

So I had this seminar today at the city’s Convention Center on the importance of reading and how to motivate your students and how to sell yourself more through a new and improved CV or resume.

As is wont in these cases, I overprepared and assumed that since there will be professionals attending I’d have to sound more professional than usual.

I was expecting a lot of participants from diverse professional backgrounds so imagine my surprise when there were even enough to fill the hall and that most of them were not even responsive to my lecture.

Sigh.

When I was talking about the importance of reading and how increasing one’s reading prowess makes one a better teacher, employee and a better person, there was no reaction. I’d realized that the assumption that Filipinos are not readers is true, and that if that is the case, then we were doomed.

I had more luck with the CV/resume lecture in the afternoon. I hope that was better.

I’m so exhausted and saddened by the state of Philippine literacy that I am going to make myself feel better by reading a book and by watching Mylene Dizon’s “100” which is now out on DVD.